Wagon-tongue support



(No Model.)

J. P. DEHM. WAGON TONGUE SUPPORT.

No. 536,069. Patented Mar. 19, 1895.

A TTOHNEYS.

NITED STATES JOHN F. DEHM, OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA.

WAGON-TONGUE SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,069, dated March 19, 1895.

Application filed November 20, 189 1. Serial No. 529,389. (No-model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN F. DEHM, of San Diego, in the county of San Diego, State of California, have invented a new and Improved Wagon-Tongue Support, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in supports for wagon tongues, and it has for its object to provide a device of this character which will be exceedingly simple, durable and economic and which may be applied expeditiously and conveniently, directly to the axle of the vehicle, and without detracting from the strength of the axle, or in any manner detracting from the strength of the running gear.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the vlews.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the vehicle, illustrating the forward hounds in side elevation, and likewise the tongue and the improved support for the tongue. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the axle, the forward hounds, the tongue and the tongue support; and Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the support.

In carrying out the invention the support is carried by the axle A, and it consists primarily of three plates 10, 11 and 12, although but two plates may be employed if necessary, and spring supporting arms 13 carried by one of the plates. When three plates 10, 11 and 12 are employed, the plate 10, which is larger than the others, is made to engage with the front of the axle at or about the central portion thereof, and this plate is of sufficient length to extend both above and below the axle, and is provided with a recess 14 in its upper edge to admit of the forward passage of the reach when necessary.

The plates 11 and 12 are much narrower than the plate 10, and likewise extend above and below the axle; and the three plates are connected preferably through the medium of four bolts 15, which are passed one through each of the upper corners of the front plate 10 and. one through each of the lower corners, the bolts at one side of the front plate passing respectively through the upper and lower portions of the back plate 11, and the other" bolts are made to pass through corresponding portions of the other back plate 12. Therefore the bolts extend one set above and the other set below the axle, as clearly shown in Fig. 3.

An enlargement or extension 16, preferably in the form of an elongated lug is located one at each side of the center of the front plate 10 upon its forward face. Each extension or lug, 16 is provided with a bore or aperture extending from the top downward through the same a predetermined distance, and a set screw 17, is made to extend into the bore of each lug or extension, being passed through the forward face thereof. The supporting arms 13 are made of spring metal, preferably of a stout wire, and comprise a vertical section 13, which enters the bore in a lug or extension 16, being held in place by the set screw 17, and a horizontal section 13 the two sections being connected by a coil 13. The horizontal members of the arms are curved downwardly from the said coils and then upwardly, and the outer or free extremities of the arms are preferably in the same plane with the upper surfaces of the coils, as is shown in Figs. 1 and 3; but the free ends may be carried higher if in practice it is found desirable.

In Figs. 1 and 2, I have illustrated the forward hounds 18 as extending over the axle A, and the tongue 19 as provided with hounds 20 pivotally connected with the forward bounds, the said tongue hounds being connected by a cross bar 21. The tongue is held in a horizontal position by the horizontal members of the spring arms 13 engaging with the tongue hounds preferably where they,

connect with the tongue proper.

The bottoms of the tongue hounds 20 lie slightly above the bottom of the tongue as clearly seen in Fig. 1 and the spring arms 13 are set slightly at angles to one another whereby their extremities 13 are held securely in position against the side faces of the tongue and the bottoms of the tongue hounds and prevented from slipping out of position. In this way it is not necessary to connect the spring'arms to the tongue in any Way, said tongue being merely supported thereon.

This device is exceedingly simpl it is durable and it is economical in construction as heretofore stated, and may be applied to a vehicle without in the least injuringthe axle or the running gear.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as now and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A tongue support for vehicles, the same consisting of plates adapted to be secured upon the axle, the forward plate having aportured lugs formed thereon, and set screws extending; into the apertures of the lugs, and supporting arms constructed of spring material, comprising a vertical section adapted to enter one of the apertures in one of the said lugs, a horizontal section havingacoiled connection with the vertical member, and curved forwardly and downwardly from the said vertical member, the free ends of the horizontal members beingsubstantially in a plane with the upper portions of the coils, and adapted to be adjusted toward and from each other as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, with the axle of a vehicle, the tongue and the tongue hounds, secured to the sides of the tongue with their bottoms above the under side thereof of a supporting device comprising front and rear plates secured upon the axle by bolts connecting them and extending both above and below the axle, the front plate being provided with apertured extensions having setscrews applied thereto, and supporting arms located one in each lug or extension, and adapted to be set at angles to one another each arm consisting of a vertical member, a coil formed at the upper end of the vertical member, and a horizontal member curved from the coil downwardly and then upwardly, the free end of said horizontal member being in substantially the same plane with the upper portion of the coil, the horizontal sections of the supporting arms extending below the tongue bounds and to an engagement therewith and with the sides of the tongue at their free ends, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN F. DEI'IM.

\Vitnesses:

J. J. HENDERSON, MINNIE MERRITT. 

